Troy man sentenced 12-20 years for slaying of his father

Patrick Mikes, Jr. looks toward his family members during his pre-exam hearing in front of Judge William Bolle at 52-4 District Court in Troy, Monday August 27, 2012. (Vaughn Gurganian/For the Daily Tribune)

The Troy man convicted of second-degree murder in his father’s slaying will spend at least the next 11 years behind bars.

Patrick Mikes Jr., 22, was sentenced Tuesday to 12 to 20 years in prison by Oakland County Circuit Judge James Alexander. He will receive credit for 402 days already served in jail.

Patrick Mikes Sr. was 55 years old when he was struck multiple times in the head with a blunt object. He was reported missing on July 27, 2012, and his body was found in a field in Montrose Township on Aug. 10, 2012.

The sentence was part of a plea agreement. Mikes pleaded guilty but mentally ill to a lesser charge of second-degree murder last month.

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An emotional Mikes addressed the court before the sentence was imposed. He thanked his friends and family.

“When my world was shattered, you made sure that I knew that I was still a part of you,” he said. “When people said I was a monster, you told me that I would always be your friend, your nephew, your grandson (or) your brother.I will be spending the rest of my life striving to be the person worthy of all the love you’ve shown me.”

Mikes said the death of his father, Patrick Mikes Sr., is constantly on his mind.

“There’s not a day that passes where I don’t think about everything that happened on July 27, 2012, and wish I had done some things differently,” he said. “The regret I feel ... has been carved into my soul and every time I reflect on it, trying to make sense of what happened, I feel like the scars cut deeper and deeper each time.

“As much as I would like to wake up to find this to be nothing more than a nightmare, I know it is time for me to step up and take responsibility for what I did that Saturday morning.”

Mikes spoke about his name.

“My father chose to give me his own name, I think because he had great expectations for me,” Mikes said. “Often, I have fallen short of those expectations.”

He concluded by again apologizing to the dozens of people who filled the courtroom, giving the “sincerest apology I can offer from the deepest chasm of my heart.”

“You are simply a murderer who is also smart,” the statement read, noting that Mikes squandered all the opportunities that his father provided for him.

“Your crimes are a matter of record. In addition, you have dishonored your mother and stolen a normal life from your sister Elizabeth and your brother Andrew.”

The statement said that Mikes never showed any regret and predicted that his pre-sentence statement would show remorse.

“We will be skeptical and unimpressed,” the statement said. “Why should we believe someone with your record of lies and deceit?”

The statement touched on the topic of closure.

“Complete closure eludes us,” it said.

“While we must accept the reality of these events, we must deal with the loss of a brother. You may one day be an ex-convict, but you will always be an ex-murderer, and through the years you will wonder what could have been.”

The note described Patrick Mikes Sr. as a “great guy” who shared many interests — including biking, philosophy, and the University of Notre Dame — with his brothers.

“The memories we have of (Mikes Sr.) as our baby brother are forever clouded by his murder,” the statement said.

“The fond memories of Pat Sr. as the wide-eyed 10-year-old on his first visit to Notre Dame compete with the vision of him dying in that basement, as the coroner said, drowning in his own blood. Every time we get on our bikes we have to deal with the image of Pat’s body lying in that cornfield, being gnawed upon by insects and small animals.”

“Over the past year-and-a-half, I watched my family disintegrate because of my brother’s actions,” she said.“I stand here today in support of my brother, but also in support of my father and the way he raised us. I look forward to moving past these events in my life, and I know that my other brother, Andrew, looks forward to moving past these events.”

All parties agreed with the plea bargain.

Alexander, who called the case a “tragedy,” also ordered Mikes to pay $1,084 in restitution to Mikes Sr.’s brother, Donald Mikes, and $15,261 in costs to the Troy Police Department for costs that went above and beyond the costs in a normal homicide investigation.

In one adjustment to the pre-sentencing report, attorneys revealed that Mikes Jr.’s attorney signed an agreement on Aug. 9, 2012, to provide police with the specific location of Mikes Sr.’s body.

Investigators had already been looking in the area, and they found the body the following day.

A case against Mikes involving the illegal use of a credit card belonging to his brother, Andrew, was dismissed.